New PS4 model in the works

If Sony’s latest registration filing for two new “Computer Entertainment Systems” is anything to go by, we will be seeing new PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 models in the near future.

Sony filed the registration documents with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, and it bears the the model number CUH-1106A – currently the Asian version of the PS4 has the code CUH-1006A.

This could mean that, like the PS3’s evolution from its original “fat” design to its “super slim” shape we see today, the PS4 is in for a revamp.

The new model numbers seem to follow the pattern established with the evolution from PS3 slim, launched with the model number CECH-2001A, to the super slim, which started with CECH-4001A.

A change in the first digit typically indicates a major form-factor redesign, or major changes to internals such as microprocessor fabrication process or power economy improvement. A change in the following digits indicate smaller iterative improvements to the hardware.

In addition to the PS4 filing, Sony filed for the certification of a second system with the code CECH-4306CH, which is possibly an evolution of the PS3 super slim model. This comes just days after the PS3 super slim was discovered to be sold out at many major retailers online, indicating an interruption or at least a slow down in shipments and sparking rumors of a possible new console to be announced at E3.